1.
"HOW
DO YOU HOUSEBREAK A (DOG) POODLE?"Well
the bad news is you don't! Now before you freak out, let us explain.
The odds are good that your dog will train you! By that we
mean, in time you will learn the signals that your pet(s) give you around
the time that their voiding needs arise. For example, your
dog may walk rapidly around the room sniffing the floor just before he
does anything. I f you are paying close attention, that is the precise
moment to take him outside or to the preferred place you want him to do
his business. Some dogs adhere to a very rigid schedule, and
void at the same times every day (generally right after sleeping or eating)
That being the case, observe, make note, and then be sure to place him
in the correct location. If you behave well, your reward will
be less messes to clean. Perhaps the most important rule, is never
punish your dog for answering "natures call". Absent the capacity
for reason, he will only get more confused if punished for performing a
very natural act. However, be sure to always reinforce positive
behaviors!

2.
"IS
IT TRUE THAT POODLES ARE GOOD DOGS TO OWN IF YOU HAVE ALLERGIES?"There
likely is some scientific evidence somewhere that would officially prove
or disprove this notion. However, there would appear to be a great
number of people that insist that poodles are a really good choice for
those people afflicted with allergies to animal dander. Poodles
do not shed, and they do not normally have dry, flaky skin.
Unfortunately, the only way to know for sure if it is you, is get a poodle
and find out. Of course, buying one just to test would be an
expensive and traumatic proposition, so perhaps a visit to a friend with
a poodle might be the better way to go!

3.
"DO
MALES OR FEMALES MAKE BETTER PETS?"Tough
question! It depends on a variety of factors. However,
if you will allow a sweeping generality, for many people, a male is more
loving and less moody than a female! Sorry girls, we are not
making a gender slam, but we think it is a hormonal thingy!
Females seem at different times to be less tolerant and less affectionate
than males. Females also tend to bond to one person, whereas
males more or less will bond to a family. We are not really
sure that neutering is the answer to this issue either. We
have a little female, she always was strictly a pet, who was a real crabby
thing, before she was spayed. We had her spayed and guess what?
She is still the crabbiest dog in the house! Go figure!

4.
"WHAT
SIZES ARE RECOGNIZED BY THE AKC/UKC?"First
of all, a comment or two in general, and this can be applied to any breed
that has size variations. In order to be recognized as a size variation,
it must breed true. This means if two larger dogs are mated, their
offspring will be the same size, or if two smaller dogs are mated, again
their puppies will all be of comparable size. However, the two dog
registry organizations both only recognize the Standard, the Miniature,
and the Toy. Primarily, because these sizings will breed true.
The standard is the largest and is normally from 16 to 27 inches tall,
and the miniature is 11 to 15 inches tall. The toy is the smallest
size recognized and is anything under 10 inches tall and weighs 7 to 10
pounds. All of these dimensions are based on full growth at adulthood.
Many breeders will refer to two more size differences, the tiny toy, and
the teacup. The tiny toy will usually weigh from 4 to 6 pounds
and the teacup will weigh only 2-4 pounds. If you purchase either
of these very small ones, it will still be eligible for registry with either
the AKC or the UKC. However, on your registry you will see it referred
to as a toy only.

5.
"CAN
YOU RECOMMEND ME TO A BREEDER OF POODLES IN -----------------------?"As
much as we would like to, we are too busy to really keep up with breeders
all over the various parts of North America. In the back section
of magazines, such as Dog World and Dog Fancy there are usually
listings for breeders of all breeds and sizes of dogs. Check there!

6. "IS
A TEACUP POODLE RIGHT FOR ME OR MY FAMILY?"Perhaps
not! Our reasoning is as follows. The teacup by
virtue of its size is delicate. As such it is subject to hypoglycemic
episodes following any form of a trauma, or simply because it runs out
of food. Therefore, a teacup should be kept in a home where
there is likely always a live human present, and an adult to boot.
Families with small children are also not likely to be successful teacup
owners, as the dogs are so fragile that small children can inadvertently
cause an injury. (See
our page about teacups) >>>

7.
"WHAT
KIND OF DOG FOOD DO YOU RECOMMEND?"At
the risk of you assuming we have stock in the company, at one time we leaned
heavily on Purina One, because it compared so favorably with the
more expensive brands sold by Veterinarians and top end pet stores.
Further, the protein component is either chicken or lamb, and the cereal
filler is rice as opposed to corn, which can cause allergy problems for
some dogs. However, we now are using different formulas of
IAMS and Eukanuba in addition to Purina One. We allow our dogs
free choice dry food and clean fresh water all day and night.
We also produce a wet food for pregnant or nursing females and puppies
using dry dog food moistened and combined with scrambled egg, ground beef
and cottage cheese. We provide the recipe with all the puppies
when we ship them.

8.
"I LOVE MY DOG SO MUCH, CAN YOU PUT HIS/HER PICTURE ON YOUR WEBSITE?"We
hate to turn people down on this one, but we must insist that the dogs
represented here are either our dogs, their descendants or part of their
parentage. To place pictures of dogs unrelated to ours, we believe
would be a major misrepresentation of what we do and could be considered
as false advertising!

Everyone wants their
dog to perform like a circus entertainer or just on occasion act a bit
more civilized. Well the absolutely best book we have seen on dog
training is "The Art of Raising a Puppy", written by the Monks of New
Skete. We were able to obtain a copy via Barnes and Noble.
You can order one on-line or in a store near you. (By the way, we
get no kickbacks or finder's fees for suggesting this book!)

10. IF
DOGS WERE ORIGINALLY OUTDOOR ANIMALS WON'T MY DOG BE SAFE ENOUGH
IF I LETHIM BE OUTSIDE?Not really, left outdoors,
dogs especially the smaller ones such as teacup or tiny toy poodles can
face a number of major and life threatening risks:

Threats by predators:
Almost everywhere there exists large birds of prey such as owls, hawks,
falcons and eagles. Nearly all are capable of swooping down and picking
up a small dog for lunch. Time and again we hear horror stories about
someone’s pet that was carried off by a bird of prey or even by a mammal
such as a coyote. To prevent this from becoming your predicament
never allow your dog to be unaccompanied in your yard.

Thermal threats:
Extremes of cold or heat can be very fatal to small dogs because they have
smaller circulatory systems, which is the key system that their bodies
use to absorb or dissipate heat. Cold easily penetrates a small bodied
dog and one could freeze to death easily. The darker pigmented dogs
such as a red, brown or black poodle are the most susceptible to heat exhaustion
or heat prostration and death because the dark coat color readily absorbs
sunlight and the heat that comes with it. Just think about this if
you were to remain outside and in a few minutes of exposure to the weather
you would be uncomfortable we can promise you that it is no better for
your pet, in fact it can be much worse because of the size difference.

By the way, if you
have a swimming pool in your backyard most municipalities require it to
be fenced. However, if it is not fenced, you should enclose it to
protect your pet. If fencing is not an option, then be sure to teach
your pet how to use the pool steps. Many pets have drowned simply because
they could not overcome the overhang of a pool edge.

11.
WHAT
SHOULD I DO ABOUT A POODLE GROOMER?The
best solution is to learn to do it yourself, because you are already bonded
with your dog and the additional physical touching accompanying grooming
will help intensify the relationship you have with your pet. However,
not everyone has the time, equipment or motivation to undertake such a
project and someone outside the home must be selected.

We
recommend that you avoid large grooming shops where dogs are being cage
dried. Cage drying means that your dog is placed in a crate and super
heated air is forced into the cage. There are many recorded cases
of small dogs that have died from heat prostration as a result. Further
perhaps, the larger grooming parlors could best be described as controlled
chaos. Cage doors opening, closing and clanging, dogs constantly
barking, and an unending flow of human traffic to and fro can contribute
to your pet becoming very nervous.

Your
best choices are the lady down the block that grooms dogs at her home or
a mobile groomer that comes to your home. They are great options
because they only handle one or two dogs at a time and use hand dryers.
Further, because you and your dog are not in an endless stream of dogs
and owners your pet will learn to trust this person and you just might
gain a friend.